An NHS Nurse Speaks Out!
From: info@nhsreformgroup.com sent to the Dudley Group of Hospitals.
Subject: A Nurse Speaks Out!
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:53:26 +0100
Dear Mr. Edwards and Ms. Clark (attention also of the Department of
Health and Mr Nicholson and the Mid Staffs Public Inquiry)
We cordially invite your comments on the below email, that we believe
the Dudley Group of Hospitals have already received from one of our
members who is worried that another "Stafford" is about to happen!
We are very concerned as this person who raised concerns about Patient
Safety has now been suspended.
This guideline that is being used by NHS Trusts seems to go against
the guidelines of the Department of Health:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/Publica
tionsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4050929
which says quite clearly:
"This approach will help create an environment and climate of
openness where staff feel comfortable raising concerns about patient
safety, reasonably and responsibly, without fear of exposure or of
suffering any detriment".
At some stage the establishment must listen to the people with the
answers, i.e. NHS Staff and the public.
Our group has several NHS Whistleblowers as its members including some
'high profile" Doctors and Nurses.
Best Wishes,
NHS Reform Group
......................................................................
Dear Mr. Edwards and Ms. Clark,
Having spoken to a number of DNO ward mangers (duty night
coordinators), charge nurses and sisters and not getting any resolve
I am now asking you if you can stop employing Agency Staff before any
more damage is done .
I have worked for the Russell Hall Hospital, part of the Dudley
Hospital Group for last ten years and have always been very proud of
it but not anymore. I find it heartbreaking that all the hardwork
that the staff have put in to make Russell Hall the best hospital, is
going to end up like Stafford did. This is all because some stupid and
totally iresponable people are calling Thornbury Nursing Agency in.
I myself have witnessed some terrible totally appauling acts done
since these so called 'highly skilled nurses" have been 'invadin'g our
NHS Hosptial Trust, yet nothing is being done to stop them. In fact I
was told they have been blockbooked for 6 months! Lets just hope they
know where the crash trolley is and know how to put out an emergency
call unlike the ones they had on Ward A1 last week.
Lets move on to infection control reported that I reported as well.
Why are these 'nurses" doing IVI (putting a drip into a vein) in
thick fleece jumpers and not wearing gloves? They are not washing
hands and then attending to a patient's leg who had just back from
theatre with metal fixater in place. When I told ward staff they
replied that they didn't know how these nurses had got a shift dont
know how she got shift but supposed they 'did bette'r then the other
two Thornbury Agency nurses who had been working the previous week.
These 'night nurses" had just slept for 4 hours, bless 'em, they
probably needed some sleep before going off to do an early shift for
other agency!
It seems they need the extra money while claiming sick pay from their
own Trust. What is our Trust paying out for these 'agency" nurses? I
know a fact that one nurse was being paid to stay at the Best Western
Hotel in Himley at £90 a night! Another clocked up 158 milage
expanses! I wonder what the audit commission would say to this if they
where to find out?
Finally, where are you getting the 'scrub's from to work in Theatre? I
hope its not C5 isolation unit. The DNO thinks they are trained!
Heaven help us all in an emergency!
Could all these triggers be why we have had such bad report?
The Trust going downhill fast and it seems very much like the 'Agency
Staff" are getting paid for doing as little as possible. You should
also take a look into how many patients have been injured while 'Flame
Lily Agency staff have been asleep. Remember its not been that long
since B2 had the same problem with some heart breaking outcomes. Seems
no lessons learnt there!
Please, Mr. Edwards, take these issues seroiusley before they get any
worse. I knowIi will be stopped from working in the Trust for writing
this, but I have had my time and I am very protected of our 'home
grown" nurses (nurses that have done their training within the Trust.
Nurses who one has watched, helped and supported them through their
training) ) who I know will get blamed by the media when all this
gets out.
NHS Nurse & Member of the NHS Reform Group www.nhsreformgroup.com
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